NEIGHBORHOOD REPORT: KINGSBRIDGE

NEIGHBORHOOD REPORT: KINGSBRIDGE; Armory's Uncertain Future

By LYNETTE HOLLOWAY

Published: April 24, 1994

In 1917, the National Guard's Eighth Coastal Artillery Regiment left its rambling armory on 94th Street and Park Avenue in Manhattan for a new site in the Bronx where it would have more room and richer recruiting options.

The Bronx building, at 29 West Kingsbridge Road, is an architectural wonder, with two grand three-quarter-round towers that highlight the stately medieval-style exterior and a moat that runs across the front. It was designated a city landmark in 1974, while the regiment's former home was demolished in the 1960's.

But now the Kingsbridge Armory is one of five around the state being closed as a result of nationwide military cutbacks, and the building has fallen into disrepair. After serving as the site of regiment events as well as boat shows and bicycle races, it will be deserted by the Guard in September, though the regiment will continue to use the more modern annex next door.

As in several other communities in the city, the Kingsbridge regiment's impending departure has inspired many proposals on what to do with the building, igniting much debate about the landmark's future.

Two proposals dominate the debate in Kingsbridge. Officials of School District 10 would like to see several schools and an array of social services on the site to relieve crowded conditions in the district's schools. Another plan, supported by State Attorney General G. Oliver Koppell when he was an Assemblyman from the area, calls for converting it into a center for amateur athletics.

A nine-story red-brick structure with a 180-square-foot drill hall and an 800-seat auditorium, the armory covers an entire block between Kingsbridge Road and 195th Street and Reservoir and Jerome Avenues.

The state, which will cede title to the building to New York City, recently awarded a local nonprofit organization, the Bronx Overall Economic Development Corporation, a $100,000 grant to come up with a plan on how best to use the site. In about two weeks, the development corporation will form a committee of residents and merchants who will spend a year working with consultants, drawing up a proposal for uses of the building and finding ways to pay for roof repairs, new electrical systems and other structural work, which could cost as much as $40 million.

A small shelter on the Jerome Avenue side of the building that accommodates about 90 homeless women in the winter will remain open for now, officials said. But its future must also be decided. The committee's report will be submitted to Borough President Fernando Ferrer. All current proposals will be studied, said Yves Trillon, a project director of the development corporation.

"The Kingsbridge Armory is a tremendous landmark that now needs to be turned into a tremendous resource for the community," Mr. Ferrer said. "We hope the study will provide us with some ideas and some ways to make it work for the community."

The construction of the giant armories in New York, beginning in the late 19th century, reflected the growth in the size and quantity of military equipment and in the ranks of the National Guard, which was frequently called on to deal with riots and other civil disturbances of that era.

In those that remain today, style sometimes takes precedence over substance. The moat in front of the Kingsbridge Armory, for example, would spill water into the basement windows if filled.

"We certainly have our work cut out for us," Mr. Trillon said. "This whole project is like dealing with several buildings in one." LYNETTE HOLLOWAY

Photo: The National Guard will be leaving the Kingsbridge Armory. (Chester Higgins Jr./The New York Times) Map/Diagram: "Armory Roundoup" Since the 70's, with anti-military sentiment aroused by the Vietnam War, and facing growing budget constraints and increasing maintenance costs onthe hulking buildings, the National Guard has been winnowing down the number of its armories. Here is a map of New York City's armories and their current status.